Anyone from HR around? Employer changed mind about contributing to travel costs for course after I started the course.

[mechanicalpencil]

Work asked me to do a demanding course Level 7 qualification. This involves 100% face-to-face weekly lectures/tutorials in a city which is a 3 hour commute by train (one way).

They have said from the beginning that all costs would be split 75:25 with them paying the 75% and me the 25%.

I am now into the second month of my course and have provided all receipts for the train (£250 per month) from the first week.

However, they haven't as yet paid me back anything for the train... almost 6 weeks on. I have sent several emails about this since I started but had no reply.

On Friday, I was called into the Manager's office to say they wouldn't be contributing anything at all to the train costs as they don’t have enough money left in the training budget.

It was also explained to me that there should have been a written contract for the course but the manager who set it up failed to do this and has since left the company. So there is nothing to prove what was said/agreed on.

Now I am in a position where it is too late to withdraw from the course because there won't be a refund. Also, I cannot afford an extra £250 a month as I budgeted for 25% of costs. Looking at my finances, there’s very little I can do to conjure up this money from elsewhere as I am already following a strict budget. It will be £1500 over a 6 month period which will have to go on my credit card.

AIBU to think they should have told me this from the beginning especially as they would have known how much was in the training budget? or am I being unreasonable?

IABU I should pay 100% travel costs.

IANBU The company should pay for the travel costs or at least consider 50:50 or similar.

Agree 100% with the points @potas and @Magnastorm have made.
If they’re falling behind, “there is no written contract,” about the course then presumably they have nothing in writing detailing recovering the course fees if you leave the company within so many years. It’s rare for a contract of employment to have specific clauses covering recovery of payment for qualifications.
Worth bearing this in mind. I’d be tempted to use this as a bargaining tool.

Following that line of thinking I agree with @DownThePubWithStevieNicksand @Elphamouche. If they genuinely can’t afford to reimburse you for £250 a month, it doesn’t say much about the financial position of the company!

You could pull or threaten to pull out of the course and say it’s because they’ve reneged on the agreement and you can’t afford to bear the costs of the travel. They’ve broken the terms of your (albeit mostly verbal) agreement, so you could legitimately pull out of the course and take the attitude of, “the loss lies where it falls then.” In other words - I’ve lost out financially and am unprepared to continue spending £250 a month, which will likely go up as rail fares increase annually, so I am mitigating my own losses by not incurring any more.

The lack of things being in writing isn’t the be all and end all on every point. I think there’s sufficient evidence to show there likelier than not was an agreement that all costs would be shared 75:25.
They’ve paid for the share of the course fees and so have you. There are emails for meetings outlining the discussions about you doing the course. You submitted claims for the travel and have chased this up.
I don’t think they can really deny they asked you to do the course: why else would they have paid 75% of the course fees?

One option is to go through the grievance process and create a lot of noise about the financial loss they have/are causing you. Make enough noise and they may relent.

@mechanicalpencil

Agree with PP speak to ACAS. This company sounds really shit and I agree if you possibly can, keep up with the training so you're in a better position to get another job.

And if the company really can't find the money for your travel costs, and you end up having to fund yourself, have you thought about taking out a 0% credit card in order to spread the costs out?

I'd give them one last chance, pointing out that this had been agreed and I'd taken on this extra study in good faith at the request of the company. I'd probably mention that to have them pull out now obviously suggested that both the ethics and finances of the company were on dodgy ground and caused me considerable concern.

If told again that they wouldn't contribute I think I'd announce cheerfully, 'OK. Well, fortunately it will make me eminently more attractive and employable to other companies once I've completed it, and I won't be left feeling any sense of obligation to this firm' and then I'd whistle about the office refusing to discuss it any longer

And this is your thread contribution?

I think the poster was trying to demonstrate that the OPs company are being very unreasonable. I’m not sure what you’re trying to demonstrate other than singling someone out by being needlessly snippy and mean.

I am a HR Director. Some thoughts:

• In the first instance, I would write a email to the person who said there’s no budget, to say that you can sadly no longer attend the course due to costs - even if you’re only bluffing. Since they’ve paid the bulk of it, I can almost guarantee they’ll miraculously find the travel funds. Just let it stew. You can always later change your mind but I really think they’ll cough up.
• Someone gave advice to ‘leave knowing you don’t have to pay it back’ I agree with this and think you should complete the course and leave immediately. Be warned - based on their attitude it sounds like your company might try to claw back the 75% from your final salary payment, under the contractual deductions section. This is not allowed because there is no agreement in place regarding the course, don’t let them do this.
• Are you still friends/amicable with your former manager? If so, could you text them to tell them what has happened? Not suggesting you outright ask them to become involved or anything, but they may feel obligated to, or they may recall who they got finance approval from. The manager would have had to seek the authority.
• Travel and Expenses policy - forget about the training budget for a second, can you check the general T&E policy. If the company is primarily funding the course, you could argue it’s a company commitment so travel should be reimbursable anyway.

from what you have said it sounds like that they have admitted that that was the agreement and they have turned around and said no longer any budget. You had a verbal contract which sounds like they accept:

I would put everything you have said in writing and get them to agree that is their position. It would be quite bad if they deny the agreement as they would be lying.

is it possible to contact the person who made the agreement with you and for them to put it in writing that they verbally agreed it?

thank you everyone for all your support 🙏

Yes, I have paid 25%.
That's a good suggestion about the hardship fund @Outofthere .
I will email my tutor.

Good point @potas .... and the manager was telling me how it is so hard to recruit for our company (can't reveal too much as it would be outing but we are not located in a very convenient location). Apparently, he was saying it costs "thousands" for the recruitment process of one person. So, yes you would think in the grand scheme of things it would be better for them to pay out 75% if £250 for 6 months.

Yes, maybe that's the way forward!! Positive thinking!!

IMO
there was a verbal agreement (contract) which needs to be honored.

The word budget … in this case is a planned number. They are over budget, but have committed to this cost so the money must be found elsewhere to honor the commitment.

Company would not contact a supplier, utility, other contract and say. Oh, we committed over budget. Can’t pay.

You need to carefully communicating to get a resolution, without causing more tension. Collect the emails, any notes explain could never have undertaken financially without company support. Explaining the costs split agreeed and that you have honored your part of the deal. Explain your long term commitment and benefits of training.

You are in the right here, him saying should have had in writing is incorrect. It’s really pathetic tactic.

Your prior manager was responsible and he must have got approval, if didn’t, still not your responsibility.

This is worth taking further with your employer. First a clear email stating that you entered into an agreement with the employer and that it is not acceptable for them to change the agreement at this stage in the course. Them doing so puts you into a position financially that you would not have agreed to. you can also say that you had been trying for several weeks to recoup what was owed and that this now means that it is too late for you withdraw and get the training money back.

Point out that this feels like unfair treatment which is causing you stress and anxiety.

Remind them that all you want here is what was agreed, you don’t have an email to prove what was agreed but neither do they to prove it wasn’t!

Can you take out a loan to cover the costs of transport? If yes, I'd do the course, get a bit of experience implementing what you've learnt, then look for a new better paying job. No point arguing the toss with management who have a track record of "crushing" people. I'd check small print re company paid courses in case there's a stipulation that the course fee has to be paid back if you leave within a specified time after the course concludes.

Any option to negotiate with the training provider for less in-person attendance?

duplicated the post for some reason

There would need to have been some documentation for the company finance team to have paid the 75% course fee. Eg a requisition, email from manager who has left, order request. Finance would have perhaps needed to have set up a code if non one has taken courses with that supplier. So ask in writing to see all documents relating to the course provider and to that payment.

I would then step it up and put in a subject access request for your name including all variants eg initials, initial surname, staff code, to see all emails, documents etc. Set a time period eg 1 month before you knew you had started the verbal discussions with manager.

That should then give you a paperwork trail to take matters further.

Can't you put it through expenses as either travel or overtime? Different budget lines. You can get a Masters loan if you haven't got one already.

Yes don’t go out without a fight on this one, they are absolutely being unreasonable.

I’d tell them that the £250p/m travel costs will put you into unplanned financial hardship, they might not have enough left in their training budget but you can tell them that you don’t have enough in your personal budget either, and so they can either keep to their end of the bargain and allow you to complete the course, or you can withdraw and as a minimum want to be re-imbursed the 25% of the course you had to pay for.

Jesus wept these people are stupid. What on earth do they think is going to happen now? You’ll suck it up, complete the course and return to give them years of dedicated service?? Clearly any right minded person is going to be out the door at the earliest available opportunity after being treated this way. They really have no business employing people if they are going to be this unbelievably shit. Sorry op, no device but wtf.

Sorry just to add to my last point:

They can either keep to their end of the bargain and allow you to complete the course, or you can withdraw and as a minimum want to be re-imbursed the 25% of the course you had to pay for plus any travel expense up until the date you were notified they’d changed their mind.

I would take a staged approach.

As pp have suggested write to HR setting out the verbal agreement and attach any email that supports the 75:25 split of course fees and expenses. Point out that not honouring the verbal agreement has put you into financial hardship.

If that doesn’t work write again to HR and request an interest free loan to help you spread the cost. Not ideal but gives you longer to pay for the travel costs. For example £1000 repaid over 12 months.

If they won’t even do that, start looking for a new job asap.

did your employer pay for the course and charge you the 25% - or did you pay and they reimbursed you the 75%?
I don't want to worry you further, but do make sure they have actually paid their share of the fees.

Very tempting!!!
I have considered this 🥺🥺

Thank you 🙏
They have made me feel so bad about the whole thing and making out I am just being very difficult 😣

That’s a useful suggestion in case they refuse to reconsider. It would at least lessen the financial pressure I am under now.
I’m making a list!